Busa Bushwhack Race Report

Here's my race report from my most recent event, my FIRST EVER trail race (and THIRD EVER trail run!!!). I love race reports, so I'll sprinkle my reports from this season here and there when I don't have much else exciting to talk about.



Busa Bushwhack 9.3 Mile Trail Race Report: The race was Sunday (11/2/08), which was a truly glorious day to run - chilly (in the 30's) and clear. I was totally nervous as I've only ever run on trails TWICE, but thankfully the woman who got me into this is a nut and she took me on REALLY hard trails those two times, so I was well prepared. She had warned me that trail racers are just different than road racers, and she was right. This was SO laid back and casual - it was nice! We met for the pre-race meeting outside the school (we used the cafe for registration and to hold our "stuff" while we ran, which was really convenient), then we all walked together to the start - about 1/2 mile through a sleepy neighborhood. The starting line seemed totally and completely arbitrary - we were literally in the middle of the road, and all of a sudden a guy yelled "Go!" So, off we went! We ran about 1/4 of a mile down the road before we dashed into the woods. I call my friend the Wood Sprite - she darts through the trail with such ease and skill it's amazing - she was gone in a flash (which she takes great delight in as I'm faster than her on the road, which seriously pisses her off!). We all ran together (the 9.3 & the 5.3 milers) for a while, then the 5.3 milers split off which really helped to thin the crowd. The trail was fairly narrow and more technical that I had expected, but less technical than what I had run on previously, so I was never nervous or felt uncomfortable (or at least any more than usual when running on trails). I definitely had to pay attention to where I was running, but never did I think "Ummmm.... How do I get up THAT?" The trail was very well marked and there were a lot of volunteers on the course to guide us. But even with all that I managed to go off trail once - I was just following some folks in front of me, and they took a wrong turn. Luckily, they figured it out quickly enough so I didn't add too much additional running to the route!

There were some VERY challenging hills involved - 2 were truly impossible to run - EVERYONE was walking, and this thinned the crowd even more. I ran essentially completely alone for the last 4 miles or so, which was REALLY REALLY weird for a race situation. I had a few "Blair Witch Project" moments where I was CERTAIN that I was somehow running in circles, and I'd never find my way out, and I'd be eaten by wild dogs (which I was positive I heard baying in the background!). I did one superman imitation (tripped on a rock/root when I took my eyes off the trail for a second, went flying to the ground...), but didn't get hurt at all - thankfully it was on a fairly softish part of the trail, not totally covered in rocks/roots. The hardest aspect was watching both your footing and looking for the trail markers (pink ribbon tied to trees/bushes/whatnot) - the route often just took a turn onto no discernible path - you just started heading up a hill in a random part of the woods, following the pink ribbons, so you HAD to look up to see the trail blazes to make sure you weren't headed off in the wrong direction. It's really very mentally challenging as well as physically challenging. Given I was so alone out there, I was convinced that I was dead last. I didn't care, really, but again, it was a very strange feeling - you are NEVER alone in a race! Bizarre. The scenery was truly spectacular - I'd love to run the course again when I could run at a more leisurely pace and actually take it in a bit more. When I finished, in 1:22, I saw my friend who had finished a few minutes before me, and she started laughing when I told her I was last. "Then who are all those people coming in behind you?" So, I wasn't, in fact, dead last. Woo Hoo! LOL. More like mid-packish, toward the bottom of the mid-pack. But in the woods, you can't see the pack! It was GREAT fun, and I really, really enjoyed it. I'll definitely be seeking out more trail race opportunities, and will continue to try to get in one trail run per week!